The ‘Cat’s Meow


Under Ron Filion’s watch, the Bobcats AAA program is quickly establishing a glowing reputation By Brett Fera


I


t wouldn’t be far-fetched to classify the word “elite” as a favorite in Ron Filion’s multi-lin-


gual vocabulary. At a minimum, it’s how this French-Canadian-


turned-proud-desert-hockey transplant thinks - especially in relation to his Arizona-based Bobcats AAA hockey program. Traditional hockey programs continue to fol-


low typical fall-winter schedules - many drawing primarily local talent while playing a mixture of in- and out-of-state games and tournaments. Filion, head instructor and manager of


Hockey 2, which operates the Bobcats program as well as local and national development camps, contends that the Bobcats are anything but typi- cal.


For one, the program fields the vast major-


ity of its teams during the traditional hockey offseason: spring and summer. Secondly, Filion clings to that word “elite” - both when attract- ing the next wave of talented hockey players to wear the Bobcats’ blue and gold color scheme, as well as when looking for tournaments, showcase events and other competitive settings to help Bobcat players reach the highest levels of hockey possible. “The Bobcats program is trying to be the


biggest spring-summer program on the West Coast,” Filion said.


Boys of Summer The vision for the Bobcats AAA program is


simple, but it’s been effective. “We decided we wanted to focus more on elite


players,” said Filion. “We strongly believe the best players need the competition, and spring and summer has some of the best hockey.” High-level players, under this system, get


to live at home, follow their typical offseason training program, but still travel periodically throughout the country for tournaments and events where they can be seen by junior hockey scouts. Filion feels that the Bobcats are giving those


youths who don’t necessarily have year-round, high-level hockey the chance to be seen nationally. “There’s almost no AAA hockey in Utah. Idaho,


Oregon - same thing,” he said. “We’re scouting for players to give them that opportunity.”


Made to Mentor The Bobcats’ roots go back far longer than the


few years its teams have called Phoenix home. It started with a childhood friendship between Filion and eventual four-time Stanley Cup champion Claude Lemieux. The two were teammates in the vaunted Que- bec Major Junior Hockey League and together as


Ron Filion, left, with Bobcats AAA assistant coach Pat Mahan, sees a lot of opportunity for growth in his budding spring-summer development program. Photo/Dave Getz/A-ZPhoto.com


live it and experience it like I have; I wanted to continue that.”


Path to Promise Filion’s experience on the youth scene is decades


deep. He’s worked for hockey schools and owned his own camps. “We used to bring buses of little French kids


all around Quebec for hockey schools,” he remem- bered. “That was my first involvement in youth hockey.” Today, H2 also manages out-of-state elite


camps, skills sessions in Arizona, and plans to soon take youth travel teams internationally - namely to Europe - to compete against the world’s best, too. Run by Filion and director of operations Adina


colleagues with the ECHL’s Phoenix Roadrunners minor-league franchise; Lemieux as part-owner, Filion as head coach. The pair started the Lemieux Academy - similar


in scope to today’s Bobcats - together in Arizona. When Lemieux moved on to make a comeback to the NHL in 2009, Filion created the Bobcats. “I love teaching the game,” said Filion. “I love offering the best that’s out there so (the kids) can


The Future is Now Today, the Bobcats are about 10 AAA teams


strong each summer (starting with 1994 birth-year, Midget Major players), and Filion is happy with the current makeup. “To me, it’s perfect. I have enough time to de-


velop kids and work with them - that’s what I like to do,” he said. “If it became any bigger, I’d spend more time in an office than on the ice. Being out on the ice is where I feel comfortable, where I relate most with the kids.” That doesn’t mean the Bobcats won’t continue to


expand its Arizona reach. “We take players from all (states), not just Ari-


zona; we have to do that,” Filion said, noting that the Bobcats did, however, hit the Arizona “jackpot” last season. The program’s 03 team was made up of 100 per-


cent Arizona players and had “lots of success,” he said. A 02 team, he added, was highly competitive, too, with only a handful of out-of-state players. And while the program’s mission has been to


maintain its status as a summer program, there are also two Bobcats teams - 97 and 98 AAA - play- ing a full-year schedule for the first time. They’re part of the Arizona Amateur Hockey


Alliance - a partnership between the Desert Youth Hockey Association (DYHA) and the Valley of the Sun Youth Hockey Association (VOSHA). The two Bobcats teams are seeing regular season competi- tion under the DYHA charter. Filion lauds the partnership, which gives his


program better access to both the Oceanside and Arcadia Ice Arenas, and offers praise and gratitude towards DYHA and VOSHA leaders, like respec- tive program heads Sean Whyte and Jim Rogers. “It’s been huge,” he said. “They’ve accepted us as


their own.”


Up for the Challenge In just a few short seasons, the Bobcats program


has competed for major titles, with plenty of quar- ter- and semifinal finishes to boot. But while being competitive is important, the Bobcats aren’t going to win every time out. That’s OK with Filion; he doesn’t expect it. “We’re not looking for the easy medal; we can


buy medals and give them to everybody if we want to,” he said. “What we do is chase the top tourna- ments. We look at the teams and programs that are registered, and we want our elite players to see that challenge. “We’re flirting with good success, but, like any


top league, it’s tough to win. Very tough. But that’s another great lesson for our boys that I hope stays with them: It’s not easy.”


Contact Brian at (612) 929-2171 or e-mail brian@rubberhockey.com for details!


6 magazine


Hayton, it’s all part of the program’s goal of giving its players the most competitive route to junior and college hockey success.


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